VOLUME 7 , I SSUE 1

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Also in this issue...

Christmas bake-off at the W.I.- Page 2 Try a little twinning - Page 3

Beginners please! - Page 6 A Constantine one-off - Page 7 New head at

Constantine School - Page 13 Give some hens a happy home - Page 18

The Constant Times

Royal recognition for Constantine charity shop effort Princess Anne came to the

Constantine branch of Save

the Children UK on 11 January

to meet local volunteers, hear

about their work, unveil a

plaque and present a Long

Service Award to shop man-

ager Sally Coot.

The branch which has been

running for almost 40 years,

now has more than 70 support-

ers from Constantine, Mawnan

and Treverva, with 27 volun-

teers working shifts. In the past

five years alone, they have

raised over £350,000 from

shop sales and a host of other

fundraising activities.

The branch raises around £20,000 each

year from the shop and other events -

raffles, bridge drives, coffee mornings,

Christmas Fairs, and quizzes.

After being greeted at the shop in Fore

Street by local schoolchildren, the

Princess took tea at The Tolmen Centre

with Dr Paula Roberts (branch chair),

Sally and the volunteers.

Photo: Sally Adams Sally and colleagues welcome the Princess

Page 2 Volume 7, I ssue 1

W.I. Meetings Barbara Willoughby

November -

Christmas Baking Made Fun.

Two members of Constantine, Sylvia and

Mary have totally different Christmasses:

Sylvia, a farmer’s wife, feeding all ani-

mals very early before breakfast, with

lunch sometime much later! Mary, with a

family of 22, may celebrate Christmas

Day on New Year’s Eve whenever all the

family can get together!!

But the one thing they do have in com-

mon is home baking tips which they

came to share with our members, with a

lot of fun thrown into the mix!!

Vegetarian Mincemeat with no suet but

half a pint of sherry added to all the usual

ingredients. Chocolate Christmas Cake,

the same ingredients with added cocoa &

chocolate chunks - yummy!!

Leftovers - Blue Cheese and Cold

Ham? What better than Blue Cheese

Pate blended with soft butter and Port!!

and Hash Cakes whizzing chopped ham,

mash potato, gherkins, egg, parsley,

mustard powder & breadcrumbs. Roll

into patties and fry.

Mini Fridgecake Puddings: luxury fruit,

amaretti biscuits, liqueur or Brandy rolled

into rounds then decorated when set.

As you can imagine the members had

a very ‘jolly’ evening after sampling these

and many other festive goodies. The

empty plates said it all. Recipes were

available and eagerly taken.

January - A Passage to India

Ann Nightingale and Betty Williams, two

very independent women, decided ‘to do

India’ independently without going on an

organised travel agency tour.

They knew what they wanted to see

and where to go. On arrival in Delhi they

spent two hours moving ‘dreckly’ through

immigration, and on the drive to their first

hotel found the rules of the road only

meant ‘Don’t Kill The Cows’!

Obviously the Taj Mahal, The Golden

Temple, President’s Palace were on the

agenda, but in their own time. Each of

these were done travelling by train,

through miles of slums, then flat agricul-

tural land, then being met by a driver and

guide who gave such a different insight to

these beautiful monuments.

Most days began before dawn to arrive

as the sun was rising giving the most

beautiful light at each place. Also, fewer

tourists meant more space for better pho-

tographs. Afternoons were spent locally

in markets, cooking & eating with local

families, artisan shops, and getting

Henna Tattoos.

Sylvia (left) and Mary (right) shared baking tips

The Constant Times Page 3

Come and try a little twinning Lyn Watson

This is the year we visit our friends in

Pont Croix. We are always sure of a

very warm welcome and look forward to

finding out what trips have been organ-

ised. We are never disappointed .Last

time we were taken to the Heulgoat For-

est with its wonderful rock formations.

The time before there was a trip up the

River Benodet. And of course the deli-

cious food that is always served at the

evening celebrations. My mouth is al-

ready watering...

If anyone would like to join our group,

this is a good year to see if you like the

idea of staying with a family in Pont

Croix- so different from staying in an

impersonal hotel. We have all made

good friends with our hosts over the

years. Most of them speak very good

English [putting many of us to shame],

so it is a perfect way to improve your

linguistic skill.

We leave on the evening of April 5 by

coach from the school in Constantine

and return [usually with a few cases of

wine) on April 9. If you would like to join

us, please contact me on 01326 340076

or e.mail ethnevas@outlook.com.

Shimla in the Himalayas could only be

accessed by car followed by a climb of

100 steps but on arrival going through the

entrance to town, the whole area was on

the level with far reaching views over

many ranges with snow capped moun-

tains in the distance, the best view being

from the best hotel.

Lastly, determined to venture out alone,

they ‘closed their eyes’, took their life in

their hands and strode out crossing the

Constantine WI Hall is in need

of a new roof ! The existing roof covering is 30 years old

and has started deteriorating. The felt

has wrinkled and there are already small

holes and leaks. We are investigating

the cost of repair, and obviously talking

of serious fundraising to get it fixed be-

fore any serious damage is done to the

structure. Watch this space!

Ann and Betty at the Taj Mahal

roads to have a meal out. The locals were

both horrified and full of admiration.

Ann and Betty both arrived home ex-

hausted and in one piece - what a wonder-

ful experience!

The meeting on 12 February is our Annual

Meeting and on March 12 Sylvia King will

talk about Local History. New members

and visitors are always welcome.

Page 4 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Winter events with Helford Marine Group

Cornwall’s Big Fish

Basking Sharks and Blue Fin Tuna are in

the seas around Cornwall. Learn more

about these big fish with two events be-

ing held by the Helford Marine Conserva-

tion Group at Gweek Village Hall.

Saturday 24 February 2018 – Tracking

Blue Fin Tuna

Blue Fin Tuna are being spotted more

frequently in Cornish waters much to the

excitement of marine biologists and fish-

ermen alike. Exeter University Marine

Resident Tom Horton has been working

on a tagging project to understand more

about the biology and distribution of

these fish, and will be sharing some fas-

cinating insights into this work. Gweek

Village Hall, 7.30pm £4 entrance, under

18s and HMCG members free.

Saturday 24 March 2018 – A Sea

Monster’s Tale, AGM and Supper

The Basking Shark, the second largest

fish in the world, is a regular visitor to

Cornish waters. Hunted to the point of

extinction it became the focal point of a

major conservation campaign in the

1980s.

Yacht skipper and researcher Colin

Speedie spent many years at sea con-

ducting surveys of these magnificent

creatures and has now written a book

on the subject, “A Sea Monster’s Tale –

In Search of the Basking Shark. He will

be telling their story at the AGM.

Gweek Village Hall, 7.30pm £4 en-

trance, under 18s and HMCG members

free. £5 for supper. Please book for

supper via events page.

For more information and bookings, contact www.helfordmarineconservation.co.uk and Eventbrite, or contact Sue Scott 01326 340961.

Soup Kitchen

Wednesday 7 February from 12.30pm

Soup and Crusty bread.

£3. Booking not required

Cycling the Via Francigina

David Cross

Thursday 8 February at 7pm

An ancient pilgrims’ way from Canter-

bury to Rome. Most walk but David

cycled, stopping at all the great

cathedrals.

£7 to include a pasty.

To book a place ring Tiffa on 340340

Soup Kitchen

Wednesday 7 March from 12.30pm

Soup and Crusty bread. £3. Booking

not required.

The History & Geography of Murder

Professor Peter King

Thursday 8 March at 7pm

Peter’s second talk in the Hall, which

promises to be as thrilling as the first.

£7 to include a pasty. To book a place

ring Margaret on 340214

The Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 14 March at 7pm

Refreshments after the business!

Port Navas Village Hall Events

The Constant Times Page 5

Whats On at the Tolmen Centre this Spring

7:30pm Saturday 10th February

Martha Tilston Penryn-based singer-songwriter with a big local following, as well as an international reputation. Backed by her superb band, Martha’s crystal-clear vocals will inspire and captivate, and her charismatic stage presence will delight . £11, £10 (concessions), £5 (children)

7:30pm Wednesday 14th February

After the Storm A once successful author now working as private detective gambles away his money and tries to reconnect with his estranged family. Tickets £4.

7:30pm Saturday 24th February

Translunar Paradise Theatre ad Infinitum After his wife passes away, William es-capes to a paradise of fantasy and past memories, a place far from the reality of his grief. Returning from beyond the grave, Rose revisits William to perform one last act of love: to help him let go. Tickets £12, £10

7:30pm Wednesday 28th February

Wind River Veteran tracker with the Fish and Wildlife Service helps investigate the murder of a young Native American woman, and uses the case to seek redemption for earlier act of irresponsibility which ended in tragedy. Tickets £4

7:30pm Saturday 10th March

Edd Bateman’s West African Love Affair Joined his first African band at 14 and went on to work with Senegalese and Congolese musicians around Europe and in Africa. Original music reflecting the joy-ful heartbeat of West African dance music. Tickets £11, £10

7:30pm Wednesday 14th March

A Man Called Ove An unlikely friendship forms between an-gry old man Ove and the boisterous fam-ily who move in next door. Heartwarming tale of unreliable first impressions and a gentle reminder that life is sweeter when it’s shared. Tickets £4

7:30pm Sunday 18th March

Police Cops in Space The Pretend Men The multi award-winning comedy trio are back with their critically acclaimed Ed-Fringe sell-out comedy; set in the most dangerous place on Earth …Space. Sammy Johnson, the last Police Cop in the universe, blasts off in an unmanned escape pod. Now on a distant planet, he must team up with Alien fighter pilot Ranger and his trusty Cyborg C9 as they embark on an intergalactic adventure . Tickets £10, £8

7:30pm Friday 23rd March

Budapest Cafe Orchestra Led by jazz violin superstar Christian Gar-rick, the BCO evokes vivid images of Tzi-gane fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy camp fires. As fantastically exciting as they are musically impressive, they journey far and wide across the Bal-kans and Russia, playing Klezmer, Roma-nian Doinas and Hungarian Czardas. Tickets £11, £10

7:30pm Wednesday 28th March

The Sense of an Ending Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) leads a reclusive existence until long buried se-crets from his past force him to face the awed recollections of his younger self, and the devastating consequences of decisions made a lifetime ago. Tickets £4

Box Office: 01326 341353 tolmen@constantinecornwall.com

Page 6 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Gweek Players Linda Capone

The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson

14–17 March at Gweek Village Hall

It’s curious how three sisters who grew up under the same roof could hold such

varied memories of their own childhoods. This is a poignant but very funny play

about sibling rivalry and relationships as three estranged sisters reunite on the eve of

their mother's funeral. Stories clash and secrets are revealed. How could they have

grown so far apart? Their mother would be wondering where it all went wrong.

"Wild humour and bruising emotion" - Daily Telegraph

Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy, 2000

Tickets: £10 (including a choice of dessert served in the interval)

Box Office: (01726) 879 500 Online: gweekplayers.co.uk

Performance times: Wed 14–Fri 16, March 7:30pm Sat 17 March 2:30pm

Gweek Players are presenting a new

play The Pirates of Trebah at Trebah

Amphitheatre in the May half term of

2018.

The play deals with the adventures of

two children in the eighteenth century

who become entangled with a group of

pirates who have lost their ship on the

Helford River.

Auditions for young actors

age 10-14

The three roles we are looking to cast are:

Eustace, bold, cheeky and thoughtless,

though his heart is in the right place

Jennifer, his sister (older or younger),

sensible and cautious, but brave when

she has to be

Laity, a pirate apprentice and part-time

farmer’s lad (older or at least taller than

Eustace)

The production dates are Thursday 30

May to Saturday 1 June 2018. Re-

hearsals will be on either Tuesday or

Thursday evenings, 7 to 8.30pm, from

the start of April, plus a few Sunday

afternoons

If you know someone who may be in-

terested and available, please invite them

to the Auditions on Saturday 10 February

2018, 2 to 4pm at Gweek Village Hall.

Please contact David Ivall at

david.ivall@mypostoffice.co.uk

for more information and a copy of the

audition pieces.

I only knew Lizzy for the

two and a half years since

we moved to Constantine,

but as most people who’ve

lived here a lifetime would

agree, she made an indeli-

ble impression with her

kindness, energy, ability

and enthusiasm.

We had only been here a

matter of days, surrounded

by the chaos of moving

house, when one bright

morning suddenly became

even sunnier with a sur-

prise visit from Lizzy.

Large as life she strode up

the garden path to introduce herself and

welcome us to the village. Her thought-

fulness even extended to thrusting three

bags of narcissus bulbs into our hands,

urging us to get them planted for a good

show the following Spring!

As a fellow bell ringer, I got to know

Lizzy a bit better and was soon amazed

to learn just how much of an impact one

person could have on a community. One

minute she would be church chorister,

the next she would be organising the re-

design of the Tolmen Centre garden:

one week she would be chairing the

W.I., the next she would be mastermind-

ing a church bazaar.

This was only the tip of the iceberg!

For over thirty years, Lizzy was at the

forefront of Constantine life, holding

many important offices including one

time Chair of the Parish Council. But it

was her vision and determination to im-

prove and re-generate amenities and

services in the community for which I

imagine she will be most remembered.

The Constant Times Page 7 Page 7

Remembering a Constantine ’one-off’ The Editor

Without Lizzy we would

possibly not today have the

fantastic facility that is the

Tolmen Centre, our im-

proved and visitor-friendly

bus-stop area, or the now

well-established Christmas

Lights tradition. Without

Lizzy we would not have

had the invaluable ‘Who’s

Where?’, the Book of Con-

stantine, and probably many

other community ‘assets’ I’m

too new to be aware of.

I am ashamed to say that

it wasn’t until very recently

that I became aware of the degree to

which Lizzy had been recognised for her

lifelong service to the community, hidden

from me because of her natural modesty

and refreshing absence of self-importance.

However, her MBE, awarded in 2008 for

services to the community, and her crea-

tion as a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow in 2004

were well-deserved and are testament to

the very high regard in which she was held

by locals and those further afield.

Lizzy’s legacy will live on in the hearts

and minds of us all.

Elizabeth Moore MBE 1951-2017

Page 8 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Parish Council Update John Andrew Please note that full minutes can be found at www.constantinecornwall.com/council

Ordinary Meeting - 16 November 2017

CCllr Bastin’s reported that the first full

meeting of the Cornwall Council will take

place in the next week. Up to now all deci-

sions have been made by the ten Cabinet

members. Members expressed consider-

able disquiet about this and think it very

undemocratic.

On the ongoing problem of flooding at

Bosvathick, Cormac have looked at the

problem and said that the land was too wet

for them to do anything and will look at it

again in the summer of 2018.

Ccllr Bastin confirmed that the decision on

future weekly collections of recycled, and

fortnightly household waste had already

been made by the Cabinet.

There were no expressions of wish to be

co-opted onto the Parish Council.

The Chairman reported that the welcome

stones were still with Wearnes.

Members noted a new maintenance agree-

ment for the public lighting owned by the

Council, due to start April 2018.

Members noted from the annual report

from SSE that the bracket to the lamp in

Penbothidno (012BJ) needs to be replaced,

and after discussion it was agreed to re-

place it.

Cllr Bolt reported that the defibrillator has

been installed in the Council- owned tele-

phone kiosk at Seworgan.

Planning: There were five applications

submitted this month for discussion. There

were also three decisions of approval made

by Cornwall Council.

Ordinary Meeting – 14 December 2017

Meetings in 2018/9 will be as follows:

January 18, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

February 15, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

March 15, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

April 19, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

May 15, 2018 Annual Parish Meeting

May 15, 2018 Annual Meeting

June 21, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

July 17, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

September 20, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

October 18, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

November 15, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

December 13, 2018 Ordinary Meeting

January 17, 2019 Ordinary Meeting

February 21, 2019 Ordinary Meeting

Public Question Time will precede all

meetings which are due to begin at 7:00pm

Cllr Mrs Dunstan raised the question of

residential developments in rural hamlets of

which there are increasing numbers. Mem-

bers noted!

1/ The preference would be for infill rather

than new builds in the open countryside, as

is the case at the moment.

2/ Possibly because of the AirBNB holiday

lets becoming less profitable their owners

are applying for change of use to residen-

tial.

3/ Planning policies have changed to allow

redundant buildings in the countryside to be

made habitable.

4/ The rules for workers in urban environ-

ment take no account of the needs of the

workers in rural areas such as Cornwall.

5/The sitting of single caravans in the open

countryside is to be deplored.

6/ It is incumbent upon everyone to report

breaches of planning permission.

The chairman again reported about the

welcoming stones, they are ready for instal-

lation. Weather permitting they will be laid

late January.

There were four planning applications sub-

mitted this month for discussion, and five

decisions approved by Cornwall Council.

‘There's a wise man down in the village!’ Tracey Clowes

The Christmas Lights will be packed

away by the time you read this article,

and it is always tinged with both joy and

sadness that we move on into another

year. The lights and trees survived the

horrendous winds and rain and as

Christmas doesn't actually finish until

Candlemas on February 2nd this means

that we are fortunate to still have the light

from the crosses on the Church Tower.

We are already planning for Christmas

2018 and Constantine School have been

booked once again to make lanterns with

us, ready for, hopefully, a drier lantern

parade -Wednesday 5th December

6.30pm, ready for 7.00pm Big Tree

Switch On (pop it in the diary). Despite

the terrible weather on the switch on

evening last December, around 150 peo-

ple marched up Fore Street proudly hold-

ing their lanterns and torches and having

a good sing as we strode along. We

hope next year it will be dry enough to be

led by our fabulous Constantine Silver

Band. It was wonderful to see families on

other evenings throughout the festive

season going around the village, with

their lanterns, taking in the lights.

We had lots of new lights, with large

trees at Brill and Bridge, a new sign wel-

coming everyone to Constantine, and a

wonderful Nativity scene at the entrance

to Wheal Vyvyan (thanks to the Arts So-

ciety and Constantine Church). As well

as our festoons along the recreation

ground, we also extended our offer of

small trees and lights beyond the resi-

dents of Fore Street.

It came as no surprise to me therefore

when one morning I had a phone call

telling me there was a 'Wise Man' down

in the village! It’s only afterwards that I

wished I could have been quicker on

the response – tongue in cheek of

course. I should have replied, “What in

Constantine!”, but I knew what the

caller was talking about as it had been

a windy night and the Nativity scene

had suffered wind damage!

Plans are afoot to light up a few more

dark areas in the village next year but

as always it all only happens with your

support. We are always looking for new

ideas for fundraisers - please let me

know if you have any ideas or if you

would like to join the Christmas Lights

Team.

Constantine Arts Society

was asked to paint this year’s nativ-

ity figures by the vicar of St Con-

stantine, Fr. Stuart Turner. Fr Stuart

cut the figures for the tableau him-

self from marine ply and ten mem-

bers of the Art Society had great fun

in painting these half size charac-

ters and managed to complete the

nativity scene in time for the switch

on of Constantine Village lights.

The Constant Times Page 9 Page 9

Page 10 Volume 7, I ssue 1 Page 10 Volume 7, I ssue 1

The Constant Times

CONSTANTINE CALENDAR

February 2018

Mon (every) - Constantine Craft Club W.I. Hall. 2.00 - 4.00pm.

Tues (every) – Yoga. 6.30pm. Tolmen Centre. Contact jess@yogagrace.co.uk

Tues (every) – Body Blitz Fitness 6.30pm Church Hall

Weds (every) – Todlins. 9.30am. Tolmen Centre.

Thurs (every) - Zumba Class 6.45pm Church Hall

Thurs (every) – Port Navas Art Group. 1-4pm. Port Navas Village Hall. Contact Ron

Prior on 340566.

Fri (every) – Fitness Fusion. 11.30am. Tol-men Centre.

Weds 7 – Soup Kitchen. Port Navas Village Hall 12.30pm.

Thurs 8 - ‘Cycling the Via Francigina’ David Cross. Port Navas Village Hall 7.00pm.

Thurs 8 - Constantine Cottage Garden So-ciety AGM and talk. W.I. Hall 7.30pm.

Sat 10 - Martha Tilston. Tolmen Music 7.30pm

Mon 12 - Soups & Puds 12.00 - 1.30pm. Annual Meeting 7.30pm. W.I. Hall.

Weds 14 - ‘After the Storm’. Tolmen Mov-ies. 7.30pm

Thurs 15 - Parish Council Ordinary Meet-ing. The Vestry. 7.00pm.

Mon 19 - One & All Club - Anne & Friends (group). Social Club 2.15pm.

Sat 24 – Helford Marine Conservation Group -’Tracking Blue Fin Tuna’. Gweek

Village Hall 7.30pm.

Sat 24 - ‘Translunar Paradise’ Tolmen Theatre. 7.30pm.

Weds 28 - ‘Wind River’. Tolmen Movies.

March 2018

Mon (every) - Constantine Craft Club W.I. Hall. 2.00 - 4.00pm.

Tues (every) – Body Blitz Fitness 6.30pm

Church Hall

Tues (every) – Yoga. 6.30pm. Tolmen

Centre. Contact jess@yogagrace.co.uk

Weds (every) – Todlins. 9.30am. Tolmen

Centre.

Thurs (every) - Zumba Class 6.45pm

Church Hall

Thurs (every) – Port Navas Art Group. 1-

4pm. Port Navas Village Hall. Contact Ron

Prior on 340566.

Fri (every) – Fitness Fusion. 11.30am. Tol-

men Centre.

Weds 7 - Save the Children Fun Quiz. So-

cial Club 7.00pm. £5 inc refreshments

Weds 7 – Soup Kitchen. Port Navas Village

Hall 12.30pm.

Thurs 8 - The History & Geography of Mur-

der. Professor Peter King. Port Navas Vil-

lage Hall 7.00pm.

Sat 10 - Edd Bateman’s West African Love

Affair. Tolmen Music. 7.30pm

Mon 12 - ‘Local History’. Sylvia King. W.I.

Hall. 7.30pm.

Tues 13 - Save the Children AGM. W.I.

Hall. 9.30 for 10.00am.

Weds 14 - Annual General Meeting. Port

Navas Village Hall 7.00pm.

Weds 14 - ‘A Man Called Ove’. Tolmen Movies. 7.30pm.

Weds14 - Sat 17 - ‘The Memory of Water’. Gweek Players. Gweek Village Hall.

7.30pm (Sat 2.30pm)

Thurs 15 - Parish Council Ordinary Meet-

ing. The Vestry. 7.00pm.

Sun 18 - ‘Police Cops in Space’. Tolmen

Theatre. 7.30pm.

Mon 19 - One & All Club. Ronnie Rash-leigh. Social Club 2.15pm.

The Constant Times Page 11 The Constant Times Page 11

St Constantine Church Services

Fri 2 February 7pm Deanery Event – Candlemas Followed by refreshments

Sun 4 February 8.00 am BCP Holy Com-munion 10.30 am Holy Communion (CW)

Sun 11 February 8.00 am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion

Wed14 February 7.00 pm Ash Wednes-day Service

Sun 18 February 8.00 am BCP Holy Communion 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 25 February 8.00 am BCP Holy Communion 10.30 am Holy Communion

Fri 2 March 2.00 pm Women’s Day of Prayer (International and Interdenomina-tional) All welcome – followed by refresh-ments

Sun 4 March 8.00 am BCP Holy Com-munion 10.30am Holy Communion

Sun 11 March Mothering Sunday – Fam-ily Worship

Sun 18 March 8.00 am BCP Holy Com-munion Passiontide begins 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 25 March 8.00 am BCP Holy Com-munion Palm Sunday 10.30am Holy Communion

Thurs 29 March 7pm Maundy Thursday Service

Fri 30 March 10.00 am Stations of the Cross 11.00 am Good Friday Liturgy

Sun 1 April 8.00 am BCP Holy Commun-ion Easter Day 10.30am Holy Communion

Everyone is very welcome and refresh-ments are served after the 10.30am ser-vice. Thursdays 10.00am BCP Holy Com-munion followed by Ladies Fellowship

Fri 23 - Budapest Cafe Orchestra. Tolmen Music. 7.30pm.

Sat 24 – Helford Marine Conservation Group -’A Sea Monster’s Tale, AGM & Sup-

per. Gweek Village Hall 7.30pm.

Weds 28 - ‘The Sense of an Ending’. To-men Movies. 7.30pm.

Everyone who

has lived in the

village more than

a couple of years

will remember

Who’s Where –

the invaluable

directory of con-

tacts for local

businesses,

groups and so-

cieties. I would

guess that most

people will still have their copy of the last one

produced – Issue 35, from 2015.

From issue 1, the work of producing it, year

after year, was done virtually single-handed

by Liz Moore, who sadly died towards the end

of last year. After 35 issues I think she felt it

was time for someone else to pick up the

baton, but it really was too much work for any

one person to take on.

And so Issue 35 remains the last one pro-

duced. A new approach might allow this es-

sential directory to live again. Rather than

being a one-person job, it does look as

though the process of producing it could be

broken out into a number of more manage-

able tasks. These would differ in nature, such

as cover designer, editor, proof-reader and so

-on. They might also differ in focus, with per-

haps different people looking after updates

for advertisers, local businesses, clubs, and

public service information. In other words – a

team effort could bring Who’s Where back to

life.

If you feel you would like to be involved

in reviving the village directory, please

contact Chris Hussey (340007, or

chris.r.hussey@gmail.com) I will be happy

to talk with you about the kind of activities

involved. If enough people are interested, we

will get together to discuss how a new direc-

tory might look, and how to share the work .

Page 12 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Constantine Cottage Garden Society Howard Bolt

pile up rotting vegetation as opposed to

burning unwanted material. He has

planted hedges as opposed to using

fences. He has provided bird baths

and ponds, bird feeders, both sus-

pended and on the ground. Plants

have been chosen which provide food

for wildlife, such as Pyracantha, elder,

crab apples, cotoneaster, blackberries,

teasel - even dandelions are encour-

aged!

Further planting has encouraged in-

sects. Plants such as Lady's smock,

ragwort, nettles, hogweed, buddleia,

nasturtium, verbena. Again, he admit-

ted that he has the room to allow sev-

eral plants to thrive which many gar-

deners would remove.

He had a selection of photographs to

illustrate the variety of habitats he has

available for wildlife. e.g. sheds with

doors left open, bareground, a gravel

garden, lawn with weeds, shrubs, a

wildflower meadow, a pile of dead

wood, compost heaps, a boggy area.

His final selection of photographs

Howard Wills of Ferndown Nursery

November 2017

'Gardening for Wildlife'

We had an outstanding illustrated talk,

'Gardening for Wildlife', by Howard

Wills from Fernwood Nursery in Devon.

He has 3 acres of land and encour-

ages, supports and studies our native

wildlife and flowers.The nursery holds

the Plant Heritage National Collections

of 'Houseleeks' and held the National

Collection of Phormiums until 2011,

when during a second severe winter,

many of the larger phormiums died.

Howard used to exhibit at RHS shows

but now concentrates on local shows.

His first selection of photographs illus-

trated how there is often much evidence

of wildlife even if viewing the wildlife

itself is missed, e.g. feathers from a bird

killed, tracks in the snow or on wet

grass, broken snail shells at a thrushes'

'anvil', a squirrel cache, starling foraging

holes, a hole made by wasps. Howard

once found and dissected an owl pellet,

which indicated what else was in the

area. In that case he found 280 bones

from 3 voles in the pellet.

His second selection of photographs

illustrated how wildlife may be encour-

aged. Howard has sufficient space to

The Constant Times Page 13

Constantine Cottage Garden Society Howard Bolt

was of wildlife 'snapped' in his garden.

He particularly likes 'banded' snails, said

that the hornets were not aggressive and

that wasps were no problem if left alone.

He said that shield bugs have a horrible

taste because he accidentally chewed

one on a raspberry he had picked. The

largest bird photographed by Howard

was a heron, on the top of his greenhouse.

It was a most entertaining talk and many

of his 'snaps' were reminiscent of those of

local photographer, David Chapman.

January 2018

‘One Garden - Four Seasons’

The January meeting was well attended

and we were treated to a beautifully illus-

trated talk, by Pat Ward of Perranwell Sta-

tion, titled ‘One Garden - Four Seasons’.

Her story starts in Winter when snow

sometimes prevails to alter the look of

her garden. As Spring begins to show its

face, the usual crocus, snowdrops and

daffodils raise their heads but Pat had

brought a basket full of flowers, berries

and leaves which she picked that day, to

illustrate just how much colour is in her-

garden at this time of year. Pat keeps con-

tainers of her favourites, especially spring

bulbs, summer time lilies, and autumn sal-

vias which attract bumble bees.

She included photographs of natural

visitors which add that something extra

to any garden. She also included pic-

tures of foliage, illustrating the variety of

greens and the provision of other colours

at different times of the year.

The talk included many tips for garden-

ers such as: how to grow wisteria as a

standard tree, the usefulness of knee high

apple trees, how to cut back ornamental

grasses, how to feed tree ferns etc.

My name is Sonya Herbert and I am

absolutely thrilled to be the new Head

Teacher at Constantine Primary School.

I feel very privileged and lucky to be

part of such a special school and I have

really enjoyed my first couple of weeks.

The children, parents, staff and wider

community have made me feel very

welcome and I very much look forward

to the exciting times ahead.

The Spring Term started off with Wil-

liam and Barney playing with the Uku-

lele Orchestra of Constantine at Poldhu

Nursing Home. Barney and William

really enjoyed the experience of per-

forming with the other musicians and

the audience enjoyed the afternoon too!

On Thursday 11th January, all 167

children and approximately 30 staff and

helpers walked to the Tolmen Centre to

greet HRH Princess Anne who was vis-

iting the Save the Children Shop. All of

the children sang to her and eight chil-

dren were lucky enough to meet Prin-

cess Anne. The children behaved im-

peccably especially as the Princess

was running a bit late.

Constantine School

Photo: Sally Adams

Page 14 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Constantine History Group Reports by Don Garman

November meeting

A short AGM was followed by John Head, a retired vet from Helston sharing the

experiences of his grandfather, a vet, in the Boer War (1899 – 1902).

In 1898 Alfred Searle Head, a recently qualified veterinary surgeon from East

Grinstead, obtained a post with a Mr Hoadley in Helston, but at the outbreak of the

war in South Africa, described by John as a war of horses, he signed up to join the

6th Inniskilling Dragoons, but not before making an impression on his employer’s

young daughter.

Following a month on board ship, Lieutenant Colonel Head arrived with the dra-

goons and 407 horses. By now the animals were already in a poor shape. Long

rides north to the Orange Free State followed. The Boers burned the grassland to

reduce the fodder, and there were few oats and mealies available, so the animals

were poorly fed.

Clear water was also an

issue and poor hygiene

meant mange spread freely.

The horses also had to carry

heavy weights (rider and all

their equipment) and trek

through either very dry envi-

ronments or the horrendous

wet season and experience

extremely cold nights when

the horses had to be walked

all night to stay warm.

Not surprisingly there were

heavy losses and vets were

in limited numbers with few aids, to treat the animals. Of the 570,000 horses 70%

died, of which only 5% were lost through enemy fire.

Huge losses of animals led to improvements in horse welfare and following a sup-

ply of fresh horses in 1901, each soldier was allocated his own horse with severe

punishment if the animal was not properly looked after. Losses of animals reduced.

Following the end of the war, Alfred remained in the army and served in Sudan.

On his return to Helston he married his employer’s daughter. During World War 1

he ran a hospital for horses and ensured animals going to the front were in good

condition before they were shipped to France. During this war, losses of horses was

reduced to 20%. In World War II he took command of the Home Guard in Helston.

The veterinary practice he established is still trading.

February’s talk will be on” Mine Buildings of Cornwall by Kingsley Rickard on Fri-

day 16th

at 19.15 in the WI Hall. Visitors always welcome. Contact 01326 250604.

6th Inniskilling Dragoons in South Africa

The Constant Times Page 15

Constantine History Group Reports by Don Garman

January Meeting

Oysters, a food item since Neolithic times and a product of the Helford for several

hundred years, was the theme of Don Garman’s talk. The first record of harvesting of

the Native Oyster is 1580 when the oysterage for Merthen Manor was valued at £2-

10 shillings. Until 1915 when the river was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall, the

ownership of the oysterage was divided between Merthen Manor and the Diocese of

Exeter. Tenants managed the oysters layings including the Tyacke family, farmers at

Merthen. In 1904 the depot was moved to Port Navas from the Pond House in Pol-

wheveral Creek and from 1890-2005 was managed or tenanted by the Hodge family.

Oysters were valuable and not surprisingly the court in Helston records several

cases of stealing, which resulted in imprisonment and hard labour. A group of fisher-

men wishing to fish the waters were deterred by armed miners in boats who were

employed by John Tyacke. Other incidents recorded include a timber vessel bound

for Gweek anchoring over the oyster beds and then drying out on them. The Captain

in his defence blames the local pilot! Disease, silt and algal blooms have also threat-

ened the oysterage from time to time.

Ownership by the Duchy of Cornwall prompted three royal visits in 1921, 1937 and

in the 1970s. The Constantine Museum has recently been given a photograph of the

1925 Port Navas annual oyster festival. This is the only evidence thus far of this event.

During the 1950s and 60s the Dutch Oyster Farm’s 12 employees operating three

dredgers and a transport boat were producing 75,000 oysters a week during the sea-

son, a third of UK production. Oysters packed into wooden casks had to leave Port

Navas by 11.10 to catch the London train.

Following strong easterly winds in 1963 50% of the oysters died from suffocation by

silt build up, this led to the introduction of Pacific oysters in 1964 which then formed

25% of production. Outbreaks of Bonamia in the 1980s also decimated the oysters.

From 1990 – 2005 the oysterage was rarely worked, however the Wright Brothers

became tenants and laid 30 tons of young oysters in the river. Unfortunately algal

bloom was the next challenge in 2009 and Natural England gave permission for Pa-

cific oysters be farmed. New techniques from Brittany were introduced to increase

rates of growth, hence the raft which oper-

ated as a nursery at the entrance to Port

Navas Creek. Once large enough the oys-

ters were placed in cages off Bosahan be-

fore being laid in oyster beds west of Port

Navas Creek and harvested at 3 years.

Unfortunately, the use of a non- indige-

nous species was not supported by envi-

ronmentalists and a strong lobby encour-

aged the owner to call in the tenancy in

Spring 2017, but it is now being re-let.

Page 16 Volume 7, I ssue 1

Night Sky Robert Beeman

At this time of year, the south-western sky boasts many bright winter stars. Follow the

distinctive line of Orion’s Belt upwards to Aldebaran, the main star of Taurus the bull,

and downwards to Sirius the Dog star. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky .It

seems to flash in many colours, it is a young star so the light is bluey white but is re-

fracted by the Earth’s atmosphere to create false hues. Look below Sirius with binocu-

lars and you should spot M41,a compact galactic star cluster 2300lys away.

Aldebaran, the “eye” of the Bull is a red giant, halfway between us and the sparkling V

shaped group of the Hyades, to which it appears to belong. Whilst the Hyades are a true

cluster moving together through space, they have no connection with Aldebaran.

Two constellations which show a range of visibility of star groupings are Leo and Can-

cer. Leo the Lion has many bright stars, the brightest being Regulus which is 77 lys

away. From Regulus an inverted question mark extends upwards to form the head of

the Lion. To the west of the lion is Cancer, the Crab; in light polluted skies this constella-

tion is almost invisible, but binoculars will reveal the Beehive Cluster M44,an assembly

of about a 200 stars nearly 600 lys away; with binoculars you should see about 40 stars.

The Constant Times Page 17

Night Sky Robert Beeman

The available planets over this period are early morning viewing only. By mid- March at

0430 looking due south you will Saturn, Mars and Jupiter; Antares, a red super giant will

be below and between Saturn and Mars,Spica will be to the west of Jupiter. Antares has

a faint blue companion star in a 900 year orbit, the pair being about 600lys away. Spica

by comparison is a much younger blue white main sequence star about 260lys away.

This will be a great photographic opportunity as the Moon should not interfere. For a

DSLR try setting the ISO to half the camera range, focus to infinity and let the camera

do the rest. Using a tripod will be essential if you are to avoid camera shake .If you can,

set the mirror lock to enabled and use a remote release to fire the shutter. If the expo-

sure time is above 30 seconds then you run the risk of star trailing so you will have to try

a few adjustments to reduce the exposure time.

Wishing you clear skies.

'Thrive' Develop wellbeing and thrive

through understanding the na-

ture of the mind and experi-

ence life with more clarity.

Whether our worries are

work, relationships, money,

past traumas or future anxie-

ties, low mood or mental ruts.

We all have innate well-being

inside us and we will explore

how we can better access this

place of wellness within us all.

Join us to find out how to

access our innate human oper-

ating system designed to reset

us to achieve results no matter

what life throws at us.

Insightful Tuesday evenings

Every fortnight at 7.30pm

The day room at

Holifield Farm, Bonallack Lane,

Gweek £5

RSVP meetup.com/Thrive-

Cornwall. Facebook.com/

Cornwallthreeprinciplesforum.

Alice Rollinson 07950935590

Russell Davis 0780694929

Page 18 Volume 7, I ssue 1

C. RUDRUM AND SONS

(CORNWALL) LTD.

DIPLOMA COAL MERCHANTS

Reliable and regular deliveries

Redruth (01209) 215561/213365

Camborne (01209) 713158 Stithians (01209) 860385

Falmouth (01326) 377345 Truro (01872) 274942

Helston (01326) 573661 Mevagissey (01726) 842365

Could you give some hens a

happy home?

Hen keeping is on the rise and it’s not diffi-

cult to see why. Ex-bats in particular make

wonderful pets and are great company,

each with their own distinct personalities.

The British Hen Welfare Trust re-homes

hens, both free range and caged, that

would otherwise go to slaughter at 72

weeks old. The local team, based in Re-

druth, holds re-homings roughly every 6 to

8 weeks. Since the team was set up in

April 2016 it has found homes across West

Cornwall for 3,000 hens.

Once you have kept ex-bats you will

never want to be without them. Seeing a

hen fresh out of her cage enjoying the sun-

shine, scratching for bugs and slugs and

dust bathing is one of life’s pure joys. Al-

though they may be looking a little tatty at

first, after a pedicure and a few days of

fresh air they will start to grow their new

feathers and become real characters. The

added extra is that you will be provided

with free range eggs for breakfast!

If you would like to re-home some hens

contact www.bhwt.org.uk or 01884 860084.

Constantine, Mawnan Smith & Treverva

Save the Children would like to thank eve-

ryone for their support at the Mawnan Smith

Christmas Fair this year. It was a very suc-

cessful and enjoyable morning and the total

raised was £1152.83 which is a great result.

DISCO GLITTER BALL . . . . There will be a FABU-

LOUS disco ball at the

Tolmen Centre on Fri-

day February 16th at

7.30, featuring Wayne

and Wanda's cabaret and retro

disco! Entrance £10. Food with a

Syrian theme for sale and a bar with

cocktails. To raise funds for refugee-

support.eu - for their work with refu-

gees in Greece and Bangladesh.

For tickets contact Jenny 07920

262734 or Sally 07805 741298

The Constant Times Page 19

Want to advertise your business?

Wide circulation, low rates. For more details contact Sue Yates via e-mail

constant.times@gmail.com

MGD Ltd. Motor Trading Unit 1, 41 Newton Road

Troon, Camborne TR14 9DP

Telephone: 01209 314847 Mobile: 07831 585443

Come along to Jess' yoga classes at

The Tolmen Centre Tuesdays

6:30pm - 7:45pm

Jess welcomes beginners or those with

some experience to a dynamic hatha

yoga class where we focus on posture,

alignment and breath

£6 or 5 class pass for £25

BOSAHAN STORAGE (close to village)

BOATS, CARS, MOTORHOMES, CARAVANS, TRAILERS

CONTAINERS TO RENT

20’ X 8’ X 8.6’

Secure, Clean & Dry

Contact John Olds: 07890384094

The Constant Times

Contact Details

Email: constant.times@gmail.com

Phone: 01326 340908

Editorial

Layout Editor & Calendar: Peter Binns

Advertising

Sue Yates

Printing

Peter Binns

Distribution:

Transition Constantine

The Constant Times is produced with sup-

port from the Constantine Enterprises Com-

pany and Transition Constantine. Volun-

teers distribute free copies to households in

Constantine Parish every two months, with

extended summer (June/July/August) and

winter (November/December /January) is-

sues. Please let us know if you do not re-

ceive a copy, or if you would like to help

with distribution.

Submission Deadlines:

Deadline for news items, calendar entries

and other submissions for the

April/May 2018 issue is

12 March 2018. Please send to con-

stant.times@gmail.com or deliver to the

Layout Editor at Comfort View, Well Lane.